Centergrip oval shields

hjalmr · Post by **hjalmr** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 2:27 pm

What is the time frame, and general culture for a centergrip oval shield?

(^_^)
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Kenric de la Terre
Squire to Duke Sir John the Bearkiller
"I dduw bo'r diolch!" ("To God be thanks!")

sarnac · Post by **sarnac** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 3:06 pm

As early as the Romans and Gauls.....
and beyond

hjalmr · Post by **hjalmr** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 4:00 pm

But is it any later then Rome? Perhaps viking or celtic?

(^_^)
-------------------
Kenric de la Terre
Squire to Duke Sir John the Bearkiller
"I dduw bo'r diolch!" ("To God be thanks!")

[This message has been edited by hjalmr (edited 10-08-2002).]

Brodir · Post by **Brodir** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 4:33 pm

I'm about to start fighting with one again, cause I love them. There are two images I know of that imply the use of the oval shield in the 'Dark Ages' or whatever you'd like to call it.

Oseberg Tapestry, circa. 834, and the Bayeux Tapestry, circa. 1070. Both of these shields are not true ovals as you would see carried by say a Roman Auxiliary, but rather rectangular shaped, with rounded ends.

If anyone has anything else, I'm all for it. One Norweigian and one Anglo-Saxon reference, over 200 years apart, is thin even for the SCA!

~Wil

Egfroth · Post by **Egfroth** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 9:49 pm

had a look to see how late in the "Late Roman" era they seem to survuived until, and late 3rd century seems to be it. By the early 4th century (Constantine etc) eveybody seems to have been using round shields. And the ones I was able to find (from Dura Europos) were from the Eastern mediterranean, and not so much oval as sort of coffin shaped.

There are many shields in Frankish and Byzantine illustratios which could be taken as oval, but in my opinion they're just side views of round shields.

Sorry not to be more help.

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Vebrand · Post by **Vebrand** » Tue Oct 08, 2002 11:32 pm

They were used in what is loosely called early Celtic times in England. The British Museum of History has a great selection of early armour. There are several centerboss oval and rectangle shields in there.
Vebrand

Fearghus Macildubh · Post by **Fearghus Macildubh** » Wed Oct 09, 2002 5:30 am

IRC, in Nicolle's Arms and Armour fo the Crusading Era-Western Europe there is an illustration from Wales showing to men fighting with egg shaped shields and a hammer or pickaxe type weapon. The illustration is from around the early 1100's. Osprey references it in one of the Norman books, either the Elite or Warrior series, for one of the color plates.
Slainte,
Fearghus

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hjalmr · Post by **hjalmr** » Wed Oct 09, 2002 8:56 am

Thanks Fearghus:

This is the kind of information that I am looking for. My alternative persona is currently 12th century and I was wondering if this type of egg shaped oval was around during this time period -even if it was rare.

I may have to go back to 10th or 11th century.

(^_^)
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Kenric de la Terre/Hjalmr of Sognefjord
Squire to Duke Sir John the Bearkiller
"I dduw bo'r diolch!" ("To God be thanks!")

[This message has been edited by hjalmr (edited 10-09-2002).]